May 2023 issue

5
THE EDITOR’S PAGE
by Linda Green
QUEEN VICTORIA -
THE GRANDMOTHER OF EUROPE
This month we celebrate Mother’s Day on May 14th
and Victoria Day on May 22nd.
Queen Victoria ruled the United Kingdom from 1837-
1901 and was also Empress of India from 1876.
Named Alexandrina Victoria but known as
Victoria, she was the only child of Edward,
Duke of Kent, and Victoria Saxe-Coburg. She
was born May 24, 1819, at Kensington Palace.
Her father died when she was 1 year old and
her domineering mother kept her away from
her ‘wicked’ uncles, Kings George and
William. She had a sheltered upbringing and
her only companion was her King Charles
spaniel.
Victoria came to the throne shortly after her
18th birthday in 1837 on the death of her
uncle William IV who had no surviving
legitimate children. She was at the time
unmarried and not crowned until June 28, 1838. In
February 1840, she married her first cousin and love of
her life, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Victoria and Albert had four sons, five daughters and
42 grandchildren who were married to royalty across
Europe making her the ‘Grandmother of Europe’. Her
daughter, Victoria, was mother of the German Emperor,
Kaiser Wilhelm II, and her granddaughter Alexandria,
was the wife of Nicholas II, Emperor and last Tzar of
Russia.
The death of Albert from typhoid in 1861 plunged
Victoria into mourning and she withdrew almost
completely from public life, spending her time at
Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Osborne
House on the Isle of Wight, where she spent
time with her favourite Scottish servant, John
Brown.
However, she kept control of affairs,
refusing her son Edward, Prince of Wales
(who became Edward VII), any active role.
Her golden jubilee in 1887 and diamond
jubilee in 1897 regained her popular support
and matriarchal role as Queen of the nation
and Empire.
She died at Osborne House on January 22,
1901, and was buried at Windsor. Her reign
lasted 63 years and 7 months, which was the
longest of any British monarch until the late Queen
Elizabeth II, who ruled for 70 years and 214 days.
Special Printing For Members
Do you have a need for printing (i.e., bookmarks, booklets, calendars,
dinner menus/programs, club bylaws, annual reports), large or small
quantities, black & white print (10¢ per page) or colour (30¢ per page)?
If so, please contact Carol Croft or Linda Green, either in the Sentinel
office (we’re not here all the time, though) or by email at sentinel@gwsaguelph.ca,
or leave a message at the front desk. You must be a GWSA
member to take advantage of this.
We will try to accommodate you with your project as much as we can.
DONATIONS
To donate easily, with a credit
card, visit our website
www.gwsa-guelph.ca and click
on the ‘Donate’ button or call:
519-823-1291
May 5, 2023, is the deadline for
submissions for the
June/July/August 2023 Sentinel.
Email submissions to: sentinel@gwsa-guelph.ca
or drop yours off at the Evergreen Front Desk.
Distribution of the June/July/August issue
is on May 25, 2023.
Editor is not responsible for quality of submitted photos
(but we’ll do our best).
The Sentinel - May 2023